PRESS RELEASE I-638 would force every girl who wants to play a school sport to have a doctor verify her sex, often through an invasive physical exam, every time she needs a sports physical--that is disturbing and totally unacceptable. And I-001, sold as 'parental rights,' would actually weaken the requirement that schools notify parents about crimes against their kids at school. These initiatives won't make a single kid safer or a single game fairer…

THE STRANGER I play varsity high school girls basketball, and if I were old enough to vote, I would vote NO to stop ballot Initiative 638 from passing this November.  To enforce excluding trans girls from sports, I-638 would require all girls to submit to sex inspections before being allowed to play any sport in elementary, middle, and high school. I outright reject claims by the MAGA mega-millionaire behind I-638, Brian Heywood, that this initiative is protecting my safety!

FAVS NEWS The truth is that these initiatives aren’t about protecting girls, or parental rights. They masquerade under this language because who would object to such things? The truth is that these initiatives dehumanize our fellow human beings, who are equally made in the image of God. There are other truths, too. That transgender persons are far more likely to be the victims of crime than the perpetrators.

TRI-CITY HERALD For over a century, the nonprofit League of Women Voters has stood for and promoted informed and active participation in government and defended the rights of all to make their voice heard in our democracy. As an advocacy group, we do and have done, much more. After extensive study and consensus of our more than 3,000-strong membership, we weigh in on policy matters and issues concerning the greater good.

PRESS RELEASE “I'm speaking partly as a governor, of course, but also as a father of two teenagers, who cares deeply about protecting parents' rights. And this initiative, no matter how hard the other side tries to spin it, actually weakens existing laws by removing parents' rights to be immediately notified when their child is a victim of a crime at school. This is an initiative that is taking away parents' that is something that's extremely important to communicate to the public.”

SEATTLE TIMES Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson joined Democratic Party lawmakers and other allies Thursday in warning voters against an initiative on the November ballot that would modify parents’ and students’ rights in public schools.  Supporters of state Initiative 001, including conservative millionaire Brian Heywood’s Let’s Go Washington political action committee, say the measure would strengthen parents’ involvement by addressing their ability to access student records and receive notifications about school activities.

THE COLUMBIAN These initiatives were designed to divide our community and distract us from the challenges folks are facing,” said Terah Ebie, president of the Vancouver-based nonprofit Queer Community Network. “But Washingtonians are smarter than that, and we care too deeply about our kids to be manipulated into voting to remove protections that are already in place to keep them safe.”

HERALD NET As a retired Washington State Patrol officer, and as a former Snohomish County Sheriff, I feel a responsibility to help voters understand the dangers posed by a ballot initiative cloaked in the guise of “parents rights.” School counselors, domestic violence prevention advocates, and….

SEATTLE TIMES Voters should reject the initiative on the November ballot that would ban roughly 10-12 transgender Washington girls from competing in school-sponsored sports. If this were a “Washington problem“ it would be worth studying as a pressing issue to be resolved by the electorate, informed with science. But it is not. 

SEATTLE TIMES The question at the heart of the matter is student safety. Domestic violence experts say the initiative could make it harder for a child to reach a safe adult. For that reason, we urge voters to turn it down.

PRESS RELEASE The patient-physician relationship is fundamental to the delivering safe, patient-centered medical care. These initiatives interfere with medical providers’ ability to counsel and treat patients alongside their families based on the best available medical evidence and their professional medical judgement.

SHORELINE AREA NEWS The Shoreline City Council on Monday unanimously passed a resolution to oppose a pair of state ballot initiatives targeting children — especially transgender children — in Washington public schools. In doing so, Shoreline became one of the first cities in Washington to publicly oppose the ballot initiatives, titled IL26-001 and IL26-638.

HERALD NET As a former school nurse and the parent of girls who were both very active in school sports teams, I am appalled that MAGA interests are playing politics with girls’ bodies and lives. Initiative 638 on our November ballot would require that girls in elementary, middle, and high school undergo sex verification, including…

THE STRANGER‍ ‍While most parents provide loving, supportive, safe environments for their children, the sad reality is there were 117,000 reports of child abuse or neglect in Washington in 2024 alone. Voters need to be aware that I-001 on November’s ballot, an initiative backed by MAGA mega-donor Brian Heywood…

SEATTLE GAY NEWS The report argues that Title IX — the landmark civil rights law that opened school athletics to generations of girls — has gone too far. It paints women’s growing participation in competitive sports not as one of America’s greatest…

THE NEWS TRIBUNE Recently, the Tacoma City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing two harmful initiatives (I-001, I-638) on the November ballot. As a school counselor in the Tacoma area, I’m so proud city leaders are taking action against…

SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD Imagine that you are a transgender child or youth right now. The target is on your back. In November, there will be an initiative on the ballot that seeks to strip these kids from the one resource that they have. Initiative 26-001 would require…

THE MARY SUE Girls’ sports are in the spotlight up in Washington. And people are upset about a possible school rule that could deem students eligible to play. Some Washington State citizens are taking issue with IL26-638, a ballot initiative to ban…

ADVOCATE If passed, IL26-638 would impose special eligibility requirements on athletes from kindergarten through high school, requiring them to certify their sex assigned at birth through genetic screening, a testosterone levels test, or even an examination of their reproductive…

THE CUT “I haven’t met a single person who has thought this was a good initiative, and I think for good reason because it just has no place in school sports. [...] This measure is rooted in such hate. It is villainizing children. It is controlling both girls’ autonomy and anatomy.”